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Driver/Education, September, 1993.

Across the continent, driver education teachers are toiling away with novice driver curriculae that researchers say have doubtful value. In April (1993), the innovative Alberta Motor Association brought together a diverse group of experts to take a new look at novice driver curriculum. Organizer Robert Taylor hopes the conference will form a stepping stone to new developments in effectively educating novice drivers.

An emotional outburst by a participating teenager highlighted one of the most important themes discussed at the Alberta Motor Association's (AA) April working conference on curriculum for the novice driver: The psychological and sociological perspectives of young drivers themselves must be taken into account if effective programs are to be developed.

The teenager was one of a focus group that joined the 25 or so participants in the AssociationÕs working conference on developing a new kind of curriculum for novice drivers. She was angry at the implication that 16-year-olds are already set in their attitudes and difficult for educators to reach. The speaker who triggered the outburst was Paul Belserene, an award winning writer, director and producer, and one of the developers of the acclaimed "Heroes" program that tours Canadian schools to change teenagers' attitudes towards risk and responsibility. Research has shown, Belserene stated, that safety attitudes and habits are formed at a very early age. Future Heroes program development will be aimed at preschoolers rather than teens, he said.

Belserene's presentation was one of 19 that were offered over the two days of the conference. Topics ranged from an overview of the risk profile of novice drivers, presented by Dr. Herb Simpson of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), to risk perception, driver/environment interaction, instructional techniques, simulation, the training of instructors, insights into the moral development of teens, theories about health education in general, research into learning styles, the role of media, and even a theatrical presentation to demonstrate the impact of well-aimed dramatization and comedy. The proceedings of the conference are currently being assembled into book form and should be available by late this fall or early next year.

RESEARCH FINDINGS
As a leading expert on the topic of novice driver risk and the effects of various countermeasures, Dr. Simpson is often called on to present the most up-to-date picture of the findings of research in this area. His ever-more-elegant and lucid descriptions of the novice driver crash problem and its implications for the development of licensing and training/education initiatives present a clear challenge for regulators and educators. "WeÕre at the cusp of momentous change," Dr. Simpson said, and he called on government and private enterprise to fund the research needed to guide these communities towards the kinds of interventions that will yield huge benefits in terms of loss prevention.

Psychologist Dr. Gerald Wilde proposed that driver education should aim to improve risk perception and reduce risk acceptance by drivers, and he outlined measures that have been used successfully in industry involving both positive and negative modes of reinforcement as means of reducing drivers' willingness to take risks.

Experimental psychologist Dr. Bob Dewar of Calgary looked at the limitations of drivers in terms of processing information and identifying potential hazards. Drivers' perceptual difficulties, Dewar said, are not due to problems with the abilities traditionally tested in driver licensing such as acuity, peripheral vision and depth. The problem lies more in the area of inattention, distraction and inaccurate perception of hazards.

LEARNING PROCESS
Dr. Hanns Christian Heinrich, head of traffic education and safety programs for Germany's Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), looked at the processes of learning which the new driver experiences both while taking instruction and while learning through experiences with the driving environment (see article, page 4).

Dr. Mike Boyes, a developmental psychologist from the University of Calgary, approached the problem from the standpoint of the moral development of adolescents and their ability to relate to issues of responsibility in driving. In theory, Dr. Boyes said, adolescence means the process of moving beyond childhood preoccupation with personal interests to consideration of personal views within a context of broader social and moral issues. Why then, he asked, are young male drivers so prone to be thoughtless behind the wheel and young females less so? He went on to describe some recent developments in theory about moral development in adolescents and their implications for driver educators. Education strategies, he suggested, should take into account the stage of moral development of the individual.

Sociologist Dr. Peter Rothe urged curriculum developers to factor in sociological as well as psychological factors in attempting to change attitudes and behaviour. He pointed out that seemingly irresponsible decisions on the part of drivers may be seen as practical and reasonable when considered from the standpoint of driversÕ social priorities at the time.

HEALTH MODELS
Researcher and health education specialist Joy Edwards used examples of failures in AIDS education in pointing out that simply imparting information is not an effective means of changing attitudes and behaviour. She emphasized that the complete mix of individual personal attributes, along with social and environmental influences, must be involved in the effort. Researchers, she said, have turned to theories from the social, psychological and behavioural sciences in the search for answers.

Adult education specialist Dr. Paula Brook, of the University of Alberta, dealt with the concept of using socialization to enhance driver training. The process of socialization, with its development of behavioural controls, is intensely connected with the affective domain of learning, Brook told conference participants. Socialization, she said, is a key means of integrating the psychological, sociological, and cognitive learning components for novice drivers.

BEHIND-THE-WHEEL TRAINING
In the practical arena of everyday driver training as practised by today's professional instructors, Dr. John Groeger of Cambridge UniversityÕs Applied Psychology Unit described what must surely be the most thorough study of what instructors do during driving lessons.

The Cambridge unit video-recorded every lesson taken by 20 teenage beginner drivers, none of whom got any driving practice outside of their formal lessons with their instructor. Lesson content was then analysed in terms of which aspects of the driving task got more attention and which were neglected. Hazards, the researchers discovered, were mentioned very little.

USE OF SIMULATORS
The potential of simulators to enhance this aspect of novice training was emphasized by Groeger. Dr. Heinrich also proposed increased attention to the use of simulators in this way, but pointed out that there are many questions to be answered about specifics of use. Simulators can be of particular value, Heinrich said, in presenting learners with situations that are critical and rare.

Jerry Wachtel, a human factors psychologist who specializes in simulation and training/education, described several possible reasons why the potential for driving simulation has exceeded actual gains from their use since they were first introduced over 50 years ago. He cited misunder- standing about their purpose and inadequate knowledge about the relative importance of the tasks to which they are being applied. Appropriate use and systematic evaluation are the keys to using simulators effectively, Wachtel said.

ROLE OF PARENTS
The critical importance of the role of parents was explored by John Harvey of the Washington State Department of Education. Harvey is Driver Education Coordinator for Educational Services District #3, in Spokane, Washington, and a long-time advocate of close parent involvement in driver learning. Involving parents, Harvey said, not only improves the learning experience for the teenager but improves the parentÕs driving also. He presented conference participants with results of a statewide survey aimed at finding out what kinds of efforts are most effective in promoting parent involvment.

New ZealandÕs approach to driver education and novice driver curriculum was explained by Graeme Rice of the Land Transport Division of New ZealandÕs Ministry of Transport. New Zealand has two programs operating in high schools that are aimed at educating the driver and educating students about driving issues in a social context. The programs are designed to complement current secondary school curriculum. The Driveplan program deals with skills and attitudes and utilizes interactive video to improve hazard perception.

MEDIA AND DESIGN
Arts and design professor Jorge Frascara, who was one of the minds behind the development of the conference, approached the task from the standpoint of learning styles, value systems and the visual environments of young people. Treating participants to an array of advertising and other visual communications and an analysis of their underlying themes and communication subtleties, Frascara emphasized the importance of allowing young people to participate in the design of their own learning experiences. For young people, he said, itÕs important to consider their learning styles, value systems, language, and the effects of self-esteem and peer-group influence. He favours a focus on the relationship between the driver and the driving environment rather than on the driver/car relationship.

Arts professor Ed Bedno, of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, offered the benefits of his 20 yearsÕ experience in designing educational programs, interactive kits, and multimedia materials. He presented driving as a social interaction between the driver and other road users. We must reorient the act of driving from a ÒmeÓ in the car against ÒthemÓ outside to a perception of driving as a cooperative effort, he suggested.

The power of modern media and the bombardment of varied messages coming at people through modern hi-tech media were discussed by Mary Duda, whose California-based Duda Design has developed multimedia presentations for DisneylandÕs Epcot Centre and the Los Angeles Olympic Committee. Duda is currently working on an interactive driver education program for the University of Alberta Hospitals.

In the current media environment, Duda said, the audio-visual expectations of young people are far outpacing the quality offered by the educational system. Expensively-produced high-impact commercials can and do promote risk behaviour and life styles that are incompatible with responsible safe behaviour. Educators should look towards the same combination of hi-tech productions and ÒedutainmentÓ formats that are exciting and involving in order to get their message across.

PROCEEDINGS
The ideas generated during the conference presentations and the accompanying workshops are currently being sifted by conference organizers Walter Barta of the AMA and Professor Frascara.

The intention now is to synthesize these ideas into an experimental curriculum which can be field-tested, possibly late next year. The proceedings of the conference are being developed into printed form and should be available sometime this fall. A possible follow-up conference is also in the cards.

For more information contact Rob Taylor, Director: Safety, Government and Consumer Affairs, Alberta Motor Association, Edmonton, AB , T6H 5X9. Tel: 403/430-5555.

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